Washing It Away
by StoryDiva
Summary: Alice & Jasper share a quiet moment together. Set after Breaking Dawn. Short and fluffy.


**Washing It Away**

Alice stared out at the scenery before her, hanging off the railing of the small wooden bridge to watch the moon's reflection in the water. The smell of an earlier rain clung to the air and the wind whipped around her, blowing strands of hair into her face. She closed her eyes and tried to block everything out, enjoying a peaceful moment.

Things had been so crazy lately. Everything with Bella and Nessie and not being able to properly see anything until it was almost too late. The very thought that it _could've_ been too late, too impossible to fix the outcome with the Volturi, left her feeling slightly anxious in a way she wasn't used to. She didn't like it when her gift didn't work properly and she especially didn't care for her family being in danger.

Her head perked up when she heard the rustling in the trees. She hollered into the woods, "Jasper Hale, I know you're out there."

Jasper jumped out of the dark covering of the forest, smiling sheepishly in her direction, and she shook her head in part-amusement-part-frustration as she kept her eyes focused on the ripples of the water. She loved and hated how much Jasper worried about her sometimes. She wasn't a fragile doll, close to breaking, but at the same time, she could never be angry that he cared about her. After all, the one thing she had always known was that Jasper was _hers_.

She sighed contentedly as his arms wrapped around her from behind.

"I hope I'm not intruding, but you looked so beautiful, I couldn't resist watching you," Jasper whispered into her ear before kissing the skin along her neck.

"You're never intruding. Not you."

"Good."

"But that's not why you're here," she replied.

He rested his chin on top of her head and said, "You do look beautiful, Alice, but…"

"But you're worried."

He nodded. "I know you'll see anything that's coming, but after everything that's happened with the Volturi, I didn't want to leave you. I know it's foolish, but I feel better when I can keep an eye on you, when I can be there to protect you." He paused, pulling her closer to him, and said, "I had planned to leave you alone and give you some time to yourself."

"It's okay, Jazz. I'm just trying to let go of the bad stuff. This last situation was a little too close to call and I hated it."

He tightened his hold on her. "Nobody will ever touch you. Not as long as I'm around."

Alice smiled. "And you'll always be around."

"You know that."

Alice opened her eyes and twirled around to face him, grinning as she slid her arms around his neck. She stared at him for a second before kissing him, allowing her fingers to play with his hair. She never did get tired of moments like this and she was pretty sure that an eternity would never be long enough to express how much Jasper meant to her. She loved him more than she ever expected to.

And, like always, he could tell what she was thinking. She could see it, in the slight crinkle of his eyes when he smiled down at her. She could feel it in the way his hands roamed up her back, his fingers drawing circles into her skin. Beyond that, she could see it in her mind, had always seen it, long before she really understood what it meant.

"You—us…it's far better than any of the visions ever were," she replied, running her fingers over the cool marble of his lips.

He said, "I would hope so."

She rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean."

He reached out to caress her face and said, "I do. That's why I couldn't let you come out here alone."

"I know," she replied. She turned around, returning her attention back to the water. She loved the quiet of this small bridge in the woods, and loved sharing it with Jasper even more.

He kissed the side of her head, positioning himself behind her, his arms covering her own and their fingers locking together. He chuckled lightly and said, "Are you feeling better?"

"Yes."

"Good."

Neither of them said anything else. They weren't afraid of long silences and it allowed them to enjoy the moment as it happened.

Alice wasn't sure how long they stood like that without talking or moving, eyes closed to the symphony of sounds surrounding them. The breeze slowed and it was as though time stood still.

Alice's eyes popped open. "The rain's going to start again soon."

"You saw it," he replied, not really a question.

"No, I can smell it. Can't you?"

He laughed, squeezed her hand and said, "I hope you know how much I love you."

She smiled and leaned back into his embrace. "Of course, silly." She glanced up at the sky in time to be pelted with a big fat rain drop. She laughed and said, "I love the rain. It makes all the bad wash away."

"You took care of that for me a long time ago."

She stepped out of his embrace and tugged on his hand. She said, "It's time to go home."

_Fin_


End file.
